Superstiton and Trees

[Pandabean]

Hey All,

Just wondering if someone could shed some light on this for me.

I was on a Woodsmoke course last month and we had to go get some wood, one of the guys on the course mentioned that it wasn't good for a Scottish person to cut down a a Rowan or Poplar but he didn't know why. Any ideas where this comes from?

Also are there any other superstitions (incl origins) out there involving trees?

Just out of curiosity, not that I believe in it all.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

I know there is a superstition that fairies live in trees with red berries which is why in plantations you will find that the Hawthorns and Hollies have been left standing as it is bad luck to cut them down.

I think Rowan was also said to be used for witches wands.

 

[gregorach]

Oooh, we don't mess with the rowans, it's very bad luck!

I'm not sure why, exactly... It probably has very old roots, as the rowan was (supposedly) sacred to the Druids. It's one of those superstitions you sort of pick up by osmosis. Even in my hard-nosed sceptic mode, I find it hard to shake off.

Never heard anything about poplar though.

Elder has lots of superstitions attached to it, mainly revolving around witches. I think you're supposed to ask before cutting an elder, as it may be a witch in disguise...

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

Oooh, we don't mess with the rowans, it's very bad luck!

I'm not sure why, exactly... It probably has very old roots, as the rowan was (supposedly) sacred to the Druids. It's one of those superstitions you sort of pick up by osmosis. Even in my hard-nosed sceptic mode, I find it hard to shake off.

Never heard anything about poplar though.

Elder has lots of superstitions attached to it, mainly revolving around witches. I think you're supposed to ask before cutting an elder, as it may be a witch in disguise...

Rowan used to be planted outside houses to ward off evil. (just remembered)

 

[Dingus Magee]

Oooh, we don't mess with the rowans, it's very bad luck!

I'm not sure why, exactly... It probably has very old roots, as the rowan was (supposedly) sacred to the Druids. It's one of those superstitions you sort of pick up by osmosis. Even in my hard-nosed sceptic mode, I find it hard to shake off.

Never heard anything about poplar though.

Elder has lots of superstitions attached to it, mainly revolving around witches. I think you're supposed to ask before cutting an elder, as it may be a witch in disguise...

This might help to shed some light on things:

http://www.controverscial.com/In%20Worship of Trees.htm

In Scotland, the rowan was often planted at the gable end of a house to protect the occupants from bad luck; many old croft-houses have their gnarled old rowan tree still standing sentinel over the ruins...it may even have been to do with keeping a ready source of berries nearby for making rowan berry jelly...a good source of vitamin C in the dark, lean winter months. I've never heard anything about poplar, other than its never a good idea to plant it too close to your house...because its vigorous roots will damage the foundations.

 

[Nagual]

wikipedia and trees for life, Rowan have some information regarding Rowan, and this regarding the poplar Trees For Life,Poplar

 

[Shewie]

I've heard it's unlucky for a beech tree to drop a limb on you in the middle of the night.






I'll get me ventile

 

[w00dsmoke]

Modern understandings of the rowan are as previous posters pointed out, planted next to houses (often near doors) to preven the entry of witches and or evil spirits/devil however if we look at these traditions we can see that these are primarily pre christion cultural survivals from a much earlier time when different gods were worshipped.

As an anthropologist I would suggest that the felling of such trees are taboo that survives in a different present day form. If we look at other trees and their cultural significance we can see a pattern of trees that are sacred or deemed different and reveeered in some way or another. For example, in graveyards/churches, there are often yews, rowans, holly to name but a few. It is easy to see that these trees were adopted by christianity on pre existing reveered sites and ascribed a new meaning that came with the the process of prosletyzation to christianity.

We do know that these trees were reveered by pre-christians and that in modern times (Mcneil F, M), this survived as a pre christian cultural belief. They thought that the spirits of the dead went into evergreens because they could not explain why all trees died with the withering of the sun in winter yet some survived. In order to appease them boughs were brought inside during winter hence the modern survival of an old tradition in a new form the xmas yule log tradition.

WS

 

[Asa Samuel]

The Hag Goddess is known to reside in the Elder tree and burning it invites death apparrently not to mention the thick acrid smoke.

Not sure where this comes from though.

 

[Dingus Magee]

The Hag Goddess is known to reside in the Elder tree and burning it invites death apparrently not to mention the thick acrid smoke.

Not sure where this comes from though.

Yeah....I'd heard similarly...the elder is the the tree of the (Earth) goddess and it is considered unlucky to burn it

 

[listenclear]

There is a book about tree folk lore type stuff which is quite good.
It's called Tree Wisdom by Jacqueline Memory Paterson. It has alot of the stories behind the superstitions and magic which is / was associated with the trees native to britain - including rowen and poplars.
It's a good book to pick up now and again as it also has some of the uses and properties of the trees.
It does have quite a strong spiritual component but you can take of leave that (pun intended) depending on what you want out of it.
Cheers

 

[Asa Samuel]

Yeah....I'd heard similarly...the elder is the the tree of the (Earth) goddess and it is considered unlucky to burn it

Isn't it also unlucky because it is the Judas tree? I think that is elder.

 

[John Fenna]

It was unlucky for Judas!

 

[launditch1]

I know of Poplar being called 'the trembling tree' on account of its leaves moving on the slightest of breezes.The wood is reputedly one (of many!) used to make the cross for JC.

 

[grebo247365]

The superstition mentioned about elder is known here in lincolnshire, the tree is said to contain a spirit called granny elder whom you must appease with this saying before you harvest wood from the tree; Granny elder, give me some of your wood! and when I turn into a tree I will give you some of mine!

 

[troy ap De skog]

elm- is the woman
ask- the mann
elder- warder of evil (good and bad luck[dryads]/mother of earth)
birch- is the laddy of the forest(signefys rebirth)
yew- Death, eternity tree(singify change)
rowen- from the old norse meaning bearer of runes

 

[Pandabean]

Thanks all, pretty interesting reading into these stories. It must have been Rowan my course mate was talking about. If they were used by the druids, why would it only be Scotsmen think its unlucky if we cut it down rather than anyone. Or is it that we Scots can be very superstitious.

I would be interested in hearing any more you all have even if it isn't releated to trees.

 

[Toddy]

The Rowan is the arrow that slew Baldur. (Odinism) and the oldest arrow shaft that we have from W. Europe is Rowan wood.

A Witch cannot pass under a Rowan (Christian)
(Funnily enough, I know a lot of 'witches' who deliberately grow the Rowan to keep the superstitiously murderous away from them )

The Rowan is the tree that makes the best of women's tools, the spindle, the digging stick, the pin beater (weaving tool) her hairpins and comb, the spurtle and her distaff.
The berries are considered lucky, and a kind of healthy blessing. My Grandmother wore a blue suit and hat to her wedding with a small sprig of Rowans attached to the ribbon around her hat. An old fashioned good luck charm, (She also had a silver half crown in her shoe )


My Rowan was really struggling, it's surrounded by a beech hedge on two sides and grows in a shady part of the garden between two buildings, but it was looking as though it had a kind of die back..
I asked my brother if he knew anything of the diseases of Rowans, and he replied, "Apart from Chronic Witch, no ! " So even he knew the tales and the superstitions.

Scots rarely cut down a Rowan, and many will only take a stick from one for a specific purpose.
Just a lot of history I suppose.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Melonfish]

our entire street is lined with rowan. in the autumn its simply stunning as they all turn red then golden yellow!
love that tree.

 

[Draven]

The Rowan is the arrow that slew Baldur. (Odinism)

Out of curiosity, do you have a source for that? Most tellings I've read and heard consider it to be an arrow or spear of Mistletoe, which Frigg felt too young to take an oath not to harm Baldr and thus the only thing that could harm him; or, in another retelling, that Mistletoe was high in a tree, and the leaves obscured it from seeing the beauty of Baldr, and so refused to take the oath. Either way, I had also heard that cited as the root of kissing under mistletoe; that in an act of reparation, it would be a source of good rather than harm. I believe this started with enemies who meet under the mistletoe not fighting, for a while at least.

Nonetheless I would be interested in hearing a different take if there's one that cites Rowan as the one that killed Baldr

Pete